My Personality Test

Is Math for Me?

I currently teach 9th and 10th grade Math, but have my B.S. in Biology. I started teaching 3rd-7th grade Math at a Montessori School and really liked it. Growing up, I had a knack for learning Math,enjoying the clear cut right or wrong answers. It bothered me that a good grade in English class seemed highly based on the teacher’s opinion and feeling rather than a definite number. I had trouble understanding how I could possibly extrapolate more in a paper when I felt like what I said was enough. Ironically, learning Math is no longer so explicit. That makes teaching Math a bit more of a challenge for me as well. However, I am embracing the Common Core simply because it reaches out to students who are not logical thinkers, showing a higher percentage of students that they can do Math. According to my test results, I have an Introverted Intuitive Thinking Perceiving personality. Math is a subject that fits my personality because I enjoy looking at complex systems and I have an obsession with logical correctness.

My Personality With My Students

I have developed many great relationships with students over the cumulative 6 years of teaching. Seeing the kids grow, and helping them learn is truly one of my favorite things about the profession. Two things have helped me a lot when dealing with individual students and classroom management. First is the understanding that I cannot please everybody. This fact has relieved a lot of pressure I put on myself about how I act around my students and the choices I make to manage a room full of kids. It has also allowed me to just be myself. I am an easy going person with a sense of humor, empathy, and contagious excitement for life. Students usually feel at ease with me, comfortable enough to approach me with problems, but also regard me with the respect of a teacher. 

Student Success

Since I am fairly approachable and make myself accessible, students can come to me for help in school. I also let the students know from Day 1 that I will always fight for them to succeed in my class. I am always willing to stay late for tutoring, ask for help from another teacher, find other resources, or communicate with parents or counselors to support their education. Many students feel as though teachers are against them, don’t like them, or wish to see them fail. Whether their speculations are valid or not, they still feel this way. I tell them and show them every day that I will do everything I possibly can to push for their success. 

TED 622 Assignment 1A

Introduction

Hello, my name is Phoebe Skelson and I currently teach 9th and 10th grade Math in the Central Valley of California. My husband and I have 3 daughters, and 2 dogs. I love to move around and enjoy the outdoors when I am hiking with my family, running with my dogs, or swimming laps. 

             Sophia, Me,  and Haley 

Cozette and I 

Apollo (apparent weight: 10 lbs. actual weight: 80 lbs.)

 Cozy, Mickey, Sophia, & Haley

Oh, For the Love of Teaching! 

 
I chose to be an educator on a whim. I drove by a school one day and said to myself "I want to be a teacher", so I went in and landed a job. Now that was14 years ago when it was a little simpler to become a teacher. I've decided to continue my career as a teacher because I love the feeling of helping that light bulb turn on in a student when they finally understand something. The relationships I develop with my students throughout the year also make all the extra hours planning and grading, standardized tests, and public school bureaucracy worthwhile. Every day is an adventure with my students that I look forward to. 

This is what I tell my students about Math:

Math is Love.  

 In Math language, that means MATH = LOVE. Math is the same as love. Math is congruent to love.

We need love in our lives like we need math.  In my class, we will share a love for math, no matter how big or small. At some point in time, a spark will fly in our brains and hearts for Math. It may be a concept grasped or the work we've accomplished. It might be a laugh.  It may not be every day or even every week, but at least once this year, we will feel it. 

That is love.